Intelligent lighting - Part 2

In the second part of this series we’ll be covering systems that enable you to control your machine vision illumination dynamically.

MODES OF OPERATION

“Why do I need a lighting controller if the light is on all the time?”

LEDs age, to ensure that the lighting level is maintained their intensity needs to be adjusted to compensate for it. A lighting controller helps to automate this

This level of control enables you to synchronise your lighting to your production line, at the right light level (even if overdriving them)

When a Trigger Pulse (A) is initiated, there can be a Trigger Delay (B), before a Lighting Intensity (C) is driven, for a duration of the Pulse Width (D)

CONTROL MULTIPLE LIGHTS

Series of pulses at different widths and intensities can be used for different lights. All of which can be grouped into sequences (which can be reset to ensure it’s always in sync)

AUTOMATIC INTENSITY ADJUSTMENT

By using an intensity check within the image processing software, the brightness of the light can be monitored...

...this can then be fed as a signal to the controller, to dynamically alter the brightness of the lights

SETUP

PUSH BUTTON

Some controllers have a series of buttons and an LCD screen built directly into them, allowing you to configure the settings on the controller itself

SERIAL / ETHERNET

Configurations can be set up using a simple set of string commands, via RS232, TCP/IP or UDP

WEB BROWSER

A Web broswer can be used to access the internal web pages of the controller, providing a graphical interface for status updates and parameter adjustments

The light output of an LED is not a result of the voltage, it’s a result of the current through the device. So, to efficiently drive them precise control of the current is needed - especially when overdriving

In the next part of this series we'll be diving into how lighting controllers have become Industry 4.0 and the internet of things "ready". Sign up to our newsletter if you'd like to be notified when it's launched.

Gardasoft Lighting Controllers

Gardasoft are established leaders in the design, manufacture and application of high performance LED control for machine vision applications. Their range of lighting controllers offer all of the features we've just explained.

Intelligent Lighting Part 1

If you missed it, have a look at part 1 where we covered simply plugging in a light, using lights that have built in drivers and controllers and Pulsing / Strobing / Dimming / Overdriving.

Ask the expert!

Hi, I'm Max Staudinger, one of the sales specialists at STEMMER IMAGING.

Get in touch if you've got any questions on intelligent lighting and we'll try our best to help you out.